Campaign cash given to charities

Campaign-contribution "gotcha" is in full bloom. The Ohio Republican Party called on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald yesterday to return what it considers a "corrupt" contribution.

Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch

Campaign-contribution “gotcha” is in full bloom.

The Ohio Republican Party called on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald yesterday to return what it considers a “corrupt” contribution.

The campaign committee of Democratic Youngstown Mayor John McNally, who was indicted this week on corruption charges, contributed $1,000 to FitzGerald’s campaign on Jan. 31.

“It’s time for FitzGerald to be held to the same standard he holds others to” and return the money, GOP spokesman Chris Schrimpf said in a statement.

FitzGerald’s campaign countered that he already was moving to donate the McNally money to charity and had given the $1,000 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. FitzGerald’s folks also pointed out that the campaign of his opponent, Republican Gov. John Kasich, had yet to return or contribute to charity a $1,000 donation from the campaign of state Rep. Peter Beck, R-Mason, who faces 69 criminal counts related to investment fraud and theft.

Kasich campaign spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp replied that his campaign would contribute the $1,000 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “There’s a big difference between us receiving a contribution four years ago from someone (Beck) who got in trouble years later versus the other side actively soliciting funds from someone (McNally) with a cloud over him at the time,” she said.

FitzGerald last year called on Kasich to turn over to charity $22,395 contributed to the governor’s campaign by indicted North Canton businessman Benjamin Suarez, who was charged with campaign-finance violations. The governor’s campaign wrote a check for the full amount to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.